Elliott Barnes

Career. After graduating with a Masters in Architecture and Urbanism at Cornell University, New York, Elliott Barnes worked with Arthur Erikson Architects in Los Angeles, in his native California. In 1987, he joined the Andrée Putman agency where he was director until 2003. He taught at a number of prestigious American universities as well as at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. In 2004, he founded Elliott Barnes Interiors in Paris where he works on high-end projects worldwide.

Signature style. Minimal lines, the power and possibilities of new materials, the play of light, all intertwine with his poetic sensibilities, the desire for each project to tell a story and to give meaning to each one. His work is exquisitely finished and yields a strong emotional power.

For him, an object should never forget its function. Luxurious finishes are of no importance if they merely serve to add another flourish or embellishment. He prefers to concentrate on the details and the purpose of the object.

Showstoppers. The abacus-like room screen with spheres “Les rivières du temps” (The River of Time) and the tryptic mirror “Triple je(u)” (a word play on Triple Me/Triple Game), two pieces from the Collection « Un après-midi de paresse » for Philippe Hurel. Some furniture which recounts a story through the poetic names attributed to them by the designer.

What’s up. Reception rooms for the Maison de Champagne Ruinart in Reims, the Hotel Ritz Carlton in Wolfsburg, Germany, a showcase apartment for the Mitsui group in Japan, an art gallery in the Marais, Paris, Daniel Rose’s second restaurant in Paris, a hotel on the Avenue d’Iena, Paris, the scenery for a ballet by Benjamin Millepied an “hôtel particulier” in Neuilly sur Seine, France, a house extension near San Francisco, United States, a Condominium in Bangkok, Thailand and numerous projects in private residences worldwide.